Recruited Teachers Yet To Get Employment Letters 6 Weeks After Adeleke’s Order

Barely six weeks after Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, ordered that recruited teachers in the state be issued with letters of appointment, nothing of such has happened in the state.

Apparently relieved by the expectant teachers and the people of Osun State on the governor’s order, they expressed happiness about the directive and since then kept their fingers crossed in expectation of immediate distribution of the letters.

However, the governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, assured of the implementation of the governor’s directive adding that the issuance of appointment letters to the first batch of teachers is ongoing.

Recall that the Adeleke administration faced criticism for disengaging approximately 1,500 teachers hired by his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola, shortly after taking office in 2022

However, the Adeleke administration in response took a step to recruit teachers to the existing vacancies in public schools across the state, but the recruitment exercise has dragged on for almost two years and has caused apprehension among the people of the state, especially applicants.

Following agitations for the release of the letters and allegations of some government officials as being the brain behind the delay in the distribution of the letters, Mallam Rasheed contended that neither the Head of Service nor the Chief of Staff is stalling the exercise.

The governor’s aide who reminded the public that funding seizure and new minimum wage were responsible for the recruitment delay said the directive of Mr Governor is being processed by the relevant agencies.

According to him, both SUBEB and the Teaching Service Commission are working seamlessly under the purview of the Ministry of Education through the Chief of Staff to ensure that the new teachers are rightly shared between SUBEB and TESCOM.

He insisted that the Adeleke-led administration remains focused on “delivering good governance, strengthening education, and fulfilling its promises to the people of Osun State.”

Recall that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had accused the Adeleke administration of lacking genuine commitment to teachers’ recruitment, describing the government’s assurances as “mere political talk” aimed at deceiving the public.

But in its defence, the ruling party in the state, the Accord Party, described the APC’s criticism as ironic, arguing that the former ruling party presided over what it called chaos and politicised recruitment in the education sector.

The party’s deputy director of Media, James Bamgbose, said, “The APC’s claim that Governor Ademola Adeleke is insincere about teachers’ recruitment is not only dishonest, but it is deeply ironic. This is the same party that hurriedly recruited teachers as an election stunt, failed to provide sustainable funding, and left the system bloated, disorganised and fiscally irresponsible. That reckless approach is precisely why the Adeleke administration chose order over impulse and reform over propaganda.”

He stated that unlike the APC, Adeleke’s administration would not recruit teachers as a political kickback scheme or a media gimmick adding that recruitment under Governor Adeleke is being approached with a clear needs assessment, verified vacancies, sustainable wage planning and alignment with broader education reforms.

An applicant who spoke on condition of anonymity lamented the delay in the issuance of appointment letters to successful applicants and pleaded with the state government to expedite action on the exercise.

However, a reliable source in the state civil service who pleaded anonymity, said the appointment letters will be dispatched in the next two weeks.